About
Biography
Professor Cathy Yule is Professor of Ecology at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Professor Yule was formerly the Head of School, Science, Technology and Engineering.
She lived and worked in SE Asia on Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea, Indonesian Borneo and Malaysia for over thirty years. Her multidisciplinary research focuses on the ecology of tropical rivers, lakes and swamps, particularly tropical peat swamp forests, an extreme and endangered environment of global significance due to their vast carbon sequestration. Her pioneering research on tropical ecosystem functioning using microbial ecology, metagenomics and phytochemistry has provided new insights and overturned misconceptions, with important implications for conservation management and climate change mitigation.
Professor Yule also investigates other issues of global importance such as water pollution, and bioprospecting for novel bioactive compounds to combat antimicrobial resistance. She and her research team have discovered 18 new species of aquatic microbes and insects, including three novel peatswamp bacteria that exhibit antimicrobial activity against significant human pathogens.
Associations
- Professional Memberships: Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Society for Freshwater Science.
- Editorial Board Memberships: Aquatic Sciences (Springer)
Research Areas
- Aquatic ecology – particularly of tropical streams
- Aquatic ecosystem functioning and nutrient cycling
- Tropical peat swamp forest ecology
Teaching Areas
- Tropical Biology
- Freshwater Ecology
- Environmental Science
Expert Media Commentary
Professor Catherine Yule's area of expertise includes tropical biology, freshwater ecology, environmental science, aquatic ecology, tropical streams, aquatic ecosystem functioning and nutrient cycling, tropical peat swamp forest ecology.